Chapter 18
This is 'Chapter 18 '''from the Ouran Highschool Host Club Manga series. Chapter Summary The chapter starts out with a view of the Hitachiin twins. It is the first day of summer vacation and the two are sleeping in. Suddenly, the phone starts ringing. When Hikaru asks Kaoru to pick up the phone, Kaoru responds sleepily that the ringtone is just Tamaki calling, and the two wake up with annoyance that Tamaki is bothering them on the first day of summer vacation. After answering the phone, they're greeted with a loud burst from Tamaki, claiming that his "daughter" (Haruhi) has gone missing. Similarly, all the other Host Club members get calls from a distressed Tamaki who has created a crazy story about Haruhi's "disappearance". He claims that she went bankrupt and was sold into slave labor, and not surprisingly, no one believes his imaginative tale. Kyouya nonchalantly states that Haruhi went to Karuizawa, which puzzles Tamaki even more. Meanwhile, it's shown that Haruhi is actually working at a pension house in Karuizawa, helping out with chores there and spending a relaxing, fresh summer break at Karuizawa. Haruhi feels bad about not telling the Host Club about her stay at Karuizawa, but merely brushes her concerns off in her head. As she is happily hanging up laundry, predicting how the summer will be her best summer break yet, Tamaki suddenly appears in a helicopter, asking about her safety through a megaphone, with the helicopter blowing all her laundry away. Haruhi dryly changes her mind about the summer being the best ever; instead, she tells herself it will be the worst. Later, when all the Host Club has gathered inside the pension, they meet the owner, Isao "Misuzu" Sonoda, a friend of Haruhi's father and another transvestite. Misuzu states that Haruhi's father left her here because he was on a business trip and was worried for her safety. Also, Haruhi was simply looking for a place to stay and earn extra cash. The conversation leads to the other Hosts remarking that this is the reason why Haruhi didn't want to go on a vacation with them, to places like Bali and Switzerland. Tamaki fumes as he rages about how he toils to make the Host Club a family, yet they all individually invited Haruhi to exotic trips. Tamaki grows even more despairing when the twins show him their cell phones and Haruhi's, on which Tamaki isn't listed as a friend. In response to the Host Club gathering, Haruhi tries to get them to leave and allow her to work in peace, but they ultimately decide on spending some of their vacation at the pension. The Host Club quickly cooks up a game, in which they will work for Misuzu at the pension and whoever Misuzu chooses as the best worker(s) will be allowed to stay at the pension for free. Tamaki and Honey set off to repair a rickety old fence, while the twins dazzle incoming guests with their charm, and Mori shows off his manliness and stoic demeanor by completing difficult jobs with ease. Misuzu walks around giving or taking away "refreshing points" based on how their work strikes his fancy, with whomever gathers the most points winning the vacant room for the night. Tamaki's fencework comes off as a dud, as he has no idea about what he's doing and only worsens the situation by trying to look "refreshing" while working. Meanwhile, everyone else's work is not going much better and Misuzu deducts points for their inadequate results. As the competition ensues, Haruhi asks Kyoya why he isn't participating, to which he replies there's no point, then continues to reveal that everyone has a summer home in the area, exasperating her. Kyoya tells Haruhi who ''he thinks will win, stating that Honey is more cute than refreshing and that Tamaki gets too passionate about these things. He adds that Takashi looks refreshing while doing anything, but since Honey will probably soon drop out, he will as well. Therefore, he concludes, the twins will win, as they are reasonably capable and refreshing at the same time. Tamaki then tries to look refreshing playing with his dog, Antoinette, but ends up digging himself deeper in his dilemma, losing fifty "refreshing points" while the twins win ten for feeding the dog with style. Tamaki resolves to win the competition, claiming his relationship with Haruhi depends on it. Kyoya tells Tamaki he is acting pitifully, but drops a vital clue by remarking that "choosing the right song" might help, inciting Tamaki to play the piano for the guests. Things start to look up for Tamaki; but as Haruhi converses outdoors with Kaoru, a guest pushes open a stuck window which comes unhinged and plummets towards the pair below. Kaoru saves Haruhi by pushing her away and wrapping her tightly in an embrace to shield her from the splintering glass, a shard of which cuts his cheek. Hikaru rushes over to assess Kaoru's injury and the two play up their "love for one another." This so touches Misuzu that he gives them 100 refreshing points and deems them the winners of the competition. It's later shown that the twins had planned their winning techniques and Tamaki loses the competition with great regret. Navigation Category:Chapters